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Holding Kids Responsible
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11 thoughts on “Holding Kids Responsible”
My sixth period is full of these kids. And I use the same three actors and try to give opportunities to all to interact with my input. And something crazy happened. I figured screw it these kids can’t handle a story so we played 4 truths and a lie. It was the first time for me. I figured I would try it with them because at least they would be forced to get a ton of reps. I picked a sentence: I used to eat dog food when I was a kid. The kids looked super bored. I don’t allow slouching, but their eyes were dead so I thought week at least they about 20 reps on I used to eat… And that was it. They literally begged me to play again. We played for the entire period! I couldn’t believe. I agree we really can’t believe that it’s our job to turn those kids around. That’s the Atlas Complex. They really do usually have a lot more going on outside of school. It’s not just that I am boring, that Spanish is boring because I know that Spanish isn’t and I sure am not.
Mama always said, “Boring people are bored.” 🙂
Thank you for always knowing what to post at the right time! It makes me feel like I am not alone!
This is my life with my 8th graders right now. I actually had 2 kids ask me recently during a reading activity on Pauvre Anne if I was going to enter a grade on the assignment, because they needed to know whether or not they actually had to put effort into it. That is the mentality of most of my kids. Many of them have been bragging recently about how they are taking study skills and ceramics next year in HS so that their GPA isn’t lowered by harder electives. This is an extremely affluent area, and it is expected that the kids will make an A. If they don’t we start getting phone calls from parents asking us to justify grading practices. I have felt like a monumental failure recently because the bulk of the kids are so checked out, and I feel defeated. The kids are used to getting A’s for little effort across the board, and I’ve been losing steam on trying to battle it. I really needed this today! I feel motivated again! For all of these kids zapping the life out of me and refusing to meet me in all the effort I put into their learning, I have a lot of really awesome kids who do put in the effort. I’ll still stand over top of my lazy ones with my hand on their shoulder and point to my rules poster, but I’ll be focusing my energy on the others these last few weeks. Just for my own sanity and mental health. Thanks Ben!
Smile and carry-on.
One thing I did use was Annicks jGR form for students to fill out. Basically they self-evaluate. I mark on my seating chart who is chronically not paying attention etc… I will be verifying it against their own. If there is a conflict, I have them talk to me. When I started it, things got a lot tighter EVEN in my level 2 class.
But yes. Mental health and sanity FIRST.
Cherie said:
…This is an extremely affluent area, and it is expected that the kids will make an A. If they don’t we start getting phone calls from parents asking us to justify grading practices. I have felt like a monumental failure recently because the bulk of the kids are so checked out, and I feel defeated. The kids are used to getting A’s for little effort across the board….
We cannot think we are alone on this. What Cherie describes above is the rule. It has been for some time. We are all faced with this every day. The biggest mistake we could make would be to take their snotty looks as reflective of our work. The biggest mistake we could make would be to take their snotty looks as reflective of our work. The biggest mistake we could make would be to take their snotty looks as reflective of our work. The biggest mistake we could make would be to take their snotty looks as reflective of our work. The biggest mistake we could make would be to take their snotty looks as reflective of our work. The biggest mistake we could make would be to take their snotty looks as reflective of our work. The biggest mistake we could make would be to take their snotty looks as reflective of our work. The biggest mistake we could make would be to take their snotty looks as reflective of our work. The biggest mistake we could make would be to take their snotty looks as reflective of our work. The biggest mistake we could make would be to take their snotty looks as reflective of our work. The biggest mistake we could make would be to take their snotty looks as reflective of our work. The biggest mistake we could make would be to take their snotty looks as reflective of our work. The biggest mistake we could make would be to take their snotty looks as reflective of our work. The biggest mistake we could make would be to take their snotty looks as reflective of our work. The biggest mistake we could make would be to take their snotty looks as reflective of our work. The biggest mistake we could make would be to take their snotty looks as reflective of our work.
I would add that the next time we see some kid looking bored when we are trying valiantly to make a story work, we should not internalize any of it, and realize that the kids are expressing an illness in humanity right now, a deep illness that has the traction of decades of that kind of behavior in our schools, where it has been allowed by weak teachers. Weak teachers are all over the place. We are fighting much more than we think. It is not us, it’s so much more. May we all have the courage we need to do this job, to keep our faith!
Thank you Ben for the post. We all have our ways but I respect your strategies which are grounded in experience.
You’re right that there are less and less “dead” students. Now how about those students who cannot let go of their phones?
Why do you allow them to have their phones in class? Do you not use Rule #9? (Nothing on desks unless told otherwise.) Do you not confront kids with phones? What do you do? Do people really do stories when kids are allowed phones? I know I know. It’s much harder than it looks. I get that. But really…phones are allowed?
Of course we never take phones from kids, so what do we do? What does the group do? Kids in my school are not allowed phones, so I am spoiled. BUT I do remember my response. When I saw a phone out, I walked over to the kid and said, “Sit up. Put your phone away. Try to pay attention to the lesson.” Then I did it again. And again. I used a strong voice. No fear. Just telling them what I expected. After it became a problem, I made the parent call during class asking for a meeting.
The deskless classroom with backpacks on side tables cured most of my cell phone issues. And calling them on it, if they get it out during class.
Yeah Susan when I start class every single thing has to be on a big side counter, esp. iPads. If we need to write, their composition books are also there w a fresh box of pencils. The class culture around “where to put their stuff” is set and accepted as a new normal.
No excuses, no confusion, no back talk. No singling anyone out when I do this since right there as class begins I am reminding in a cheerful way everybody. Rule #9 of the classroom rules is right there in front of them next to me in the front of the room: 9. Nothing on desks unless told otherwise.